June 17, 2010

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Meg Whitman, pivoting away from a primary that drove her much father to the right than she would have liked, will remind Hispanic Californians that she opposed Arizona's controversial immigration law in an ad slated to run on the Spanish-language broadcast of today's Mexico-France World Cup game.

"She respects our community," says the ad's narrator, according to a Spanish text provided to La Opinion's Pilar Marrero. "She's the Republican who opposed the Arizona law and opposed Proposition 187," say the ad, referring to the 1994 initiative -- later ruled unconstitutional -- to bar illegal immigrants from receiving public health care and education.

The ad marks a dramatic tack a way from a primary in which Whitman was at times visibly uncomfortable with her campaign's hard line, denying at one point -- mistakenly -- that her campaign was airing ads with images of a boarder fence.

Whitman is trying to undo damage done to the Republican Party among Hispanics that began in earnest with the fierce opposition to a broad immigration overhaul -- and the naturalization of many illegal immigrants -- that began in the middle of the last decade.

"It won't be easy," writes Marrero, a leading commentator on Hispanic politics at the nation's largest Spanish-language daily, adding that many of the positions Whitman continues to hold -- including her opposition to "comprehensive immigration reform and to subsidies for illegal immigrant college students "aren't accepted in the Hispanic community."

Her campaign reportedly hopes to increase the percentage of the Hispanic vote falling on the Republican line to 35%.

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Illegal is the word...Those who came to the United States Legaly should have MORE rights and privileges than those who did NOT....The Sanctuary cities in California want illegals, (protecting themselves from the law broken) to pay lower wages and as servants to take care of them, so who is using whom?

IF Meg Whitman can pull it off, I wish her luck. But typically a move to the center is a series of noticably-unnoticable steps and not such a gigantic leap from where you were last week on a subject to where you are this week on a subject. There's a reason that Arnold became a Republican governor of CA -- and that's because he didn't have to go through a GOP primary. Having gone through a GOP primary, Whitman's run (instead of a nice, gentle walk) back to the center may end up being a little too transparently transparent for everyone's taste.

I never thought I'd see John McCain wearing a skirt, but I just did. So Meg's plan is this. During the GOP primary, I'll say - Go Arizona, send those "*******s" back where they came from. And once I get nominated I'll say - Hola amiga! Vote for me and I will boycott that despicable state that calls itself Arizona. I say McPain should ditch Cindy and hook up with this princess while he still has some lead left in his pencil. The two of them go together like peas and carrots.

Posted By: I never thought I'd see John McCain wearing a skirt, but I just did. So Meg's plan is this. During t | June 17, 2010 at 11:39 AM

No wonder she's against the Arizona law, she lives in California, the land of fruits and nuts. California hollered until the fed's put a fence up for the better part of their border because of all the illegals coming across. California does not have houses along the border getting broken into by illegals, nor does it have their citizens getting murdered, (a rancher who was HELPING and illegal got killed and the tracks went BACK into Mexico), nor are parts of California have signs, posted by the fed's, warning people to stay out due to all the drug and human smuggling going on in that area. The Mexican people and culture are part of this part of the country and I respect that. I do not respect people who have no respect for my rights and then call me racist for saying "what those people are doing is wrong". If they are breaking the law, it is wrong, period.

The vibe in the Latino community in CA is pretty much the same: Republican advancements and statements regarding immigration insinuate a more xenophobic, rather than safety, related issue. As a hispanic myself, I could never vote for Whitman considering her bifurcated opinions on immigration.

Excuse me, but not ALL Californians are Liberal nuts! The majority of voters here are fed up with the state going bankrupt supporting people that are breaking the law to be here! And now we have yet another candidate who says anything to get elected. Meg Whitman or Jerry Brown.....GROAN!

Whether you agree with it or not. The Arizona immigration law is controversial. It is being condemned both nationally and internationally, cities like LA and SF are boycotting Arizona. Here is something that most people don't know or won't acknowledge. Google California Penal code 834b. Read the code. Does it sound strangely familiar? In California, Arizona is being chastised for a law that California has on it's books. A little hypocritical.

OMG....JUST ANOTHER LYING POLITICIAN. I agree with Simion,Mike,smackdown and patriotgirl. I would like to bring a classaction suit against her for her lies. I'll be looking for a third party canidate. She stole my vote. We can not continue working hard and then giving what little money we have away. Illegal means just that ...illegal. Let us just try breaking a law...can we call it profiling? Lying is just that....lying. And I thought she was a breath of fresh air ###*****

@golinus Re:"Think about this: Unless you're a native American, you too are here ilegally. If you don't think so, produce a green card that your ancestors received from the indians." Think about this golinus you moron .Had not the Spanish came over conquered the Aztecs and fornicated with the natives there would be no such thing as a Mexican.Then if the "Mexicans" would have not invaded the lands of Native Americans themselves they would not be saying Az,Ca,NM and Tx is their land,as they so often like to tell everyone!In that same scenario there would also be no Filipinos. That's the way things were done in that century so your analogy is moronic! Know your history. Should we boycott Spain since they are at the root of our problem,because they created the Mexican race to begin with????

I as going to vote and support meg, but now that I see this article and see that meg is pro illegal immigration I want nothing to do with her. Meg i hope you read this, I am tired of haveing my rights thrown in the trash, paying my taxes, that go to support illegal immigrants who recive food stamps and work under the table on the side, Immigrants who I have seen have large familys and live in dumps that most americans would have their kids taken away from them for child endangerment, and get away with breaking the laws because the cop arresting them did not speak spanish and didn't want to fill out the paperwork involved with the arrest. I am no racist, just tired of paying support to people who dont want to get a sponsor, get a SSN card, Get a legal job that pays taxes, learn English, When/if I ever go to mexico I cant expect them to learn english so dont make me learn spanis. get with the program meg.